End-gate fastener.



F. P. UDAHY.

END GATE PASTENBR.

APPLICATION FILED 00125, 1907.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

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FATENT OFFICE.

FRANSIS P. GUDAHY, OF JEFFERSON, IOWA.

END-GATE Specification of Letters Patent.

FASTENER.

Patented April 6, 1909.

Application led October 25, 1907. Serial No. 399,232.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANsrs P. CUDAHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jefferson, in the county of Greene and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful End-Gate Fastener, of which the following is a speciiication.

The object of my invention is to provide a I simple, durable and inexpensive device that may be used in the nature of an attachment to be applied to any ordinary wagon bed for the purpose of holding the sides thereof together, and of holding the end gate in position.

More specifically it is my object to provide a device of this kind that is not in any way connected with the end gate proper, and that may be quickly and easily attached io (pr detached from both sides of the wagon My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a rear end elevation of a wagon bed provided with an end gate, and using a devlce embodying my invention applied in position for holdlng the sides of the wagon together, and the end gate in position, and Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a device embodying my lnvention, detached.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate that portion of the wagon bed shown, and 11 to indicate an end gate. These parts are all of the ordinary construction now in general use, and of themselves form no part of my present invention. I attach to the sides of the wagon bed the eye-bolts 12. These may be ermanently secured in position, as they o not in' any way interfere with the use of the wagon, even when the fastening device is removed.

The fastening device pro er comprises a lever 13 having a curved nk 14 ivoted near one end, and another curved ink 15 pivoted adjacent to the rst. These links are so arranged that when the lever is in its osition as shown in Fig. 2, the link 15 will e above the link 14, and when the lever is moved to a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 1, the pivotal point ofthe link 15 will be in about the same horizontal plane as the pivotal point of the link 14, and hence the lever will be placed in a dead center and thereby held against casual upward movement. Pivoted to the link 15 is a rod 16, and pivoted to the outer end of the rod 16 is a hook 17 designed to enter one of the eyebolts 12. Pivoted to the link 14 is a rod 18 formed of two parts which are screw threaded, and which are connected by means of a turn buckle 19 whereby the length of the rod may be adjusted.

Slidably mounted on the rod 18 is a metal loop 20, designed to be slipped over the end of the lever 13, to thereby assure the lever remaining in the position adjacent to the rod. Pivoted to the outer end of the rod 18 is a hook 21 designed to enter the other one of the bolts 12.

In practical use, and assuming that a wagon is provided with the e e-bolts 12, then the operator places the hoo s 17 and 21 in the eye-bolts with the lever y13 in a substantially vertical position. By means of the turn buckle 19, these hooks 17 and 21 may be made to iit into the eye-bolts of wagons of different widths, so that my device may be quickly and easily detached for use in connection with any of the ordinar f wagons, and this ma be done by the a justment of one turn uckle only, as no part of the device is connected to the end gate itself, and the adjustment of one turn buckle is all that is necessary to accurately 'fit the device to any ordinary wagon. Then when the hooks 17 and 21 are in position, the operator grasps the lever 13 and moves it down to position parallel with the rod 18, and when this is done, the lever will rest in a dead center and thereby be normally held in its horizontal position. For safet however, I provide a metal loop 2O to s ip over the end of the lever 13 to thereby securely hold it.

As will be observed by reference to the drawings, the open links 14 and 15 are curved or bowed in the same direction and are pivotall connected to and adaptedto swing vertical y on the rods 18 and 16, respectively; also, the link 14 is pivoted in the lever 13 while the link 15 terminates in eyes 15a which loosely receive lateral studs 13a on the said lever 13. This is materially advantageous because when the lever 13 is placed in the horizontal position, Fig. 1, the open links 14 and 15 curved in the Same direction, nest one in the other, and the lever rests between the lapped portions of the two links at one of its sides and the lapped portions ofthe tvvo links at its opposite side, with the result that the lapped portions of the links strengthen each other, and the links reinforce and lend strength to the lever; and the lever7 in turn, reinforces and strengthens the links. lt 'will also be manifest that said construction is simple, compact and strong, and. that the pivotal connection of the peculiar links 14 and 15 to the rods 18 and 16, respectively, permits of the lever 13 being easily nt in the position shon n in Fig. 1 ithout t 1e imposition of lateral strain on the rods 18 and 16, and yet when the lever 13 is in said position, it is in a dead center and is not liable to accidentally move.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, therefor, is,

The combination in a device of the kind described, of rods arranged in endWise alinement, a vertically-swinging lever, and open links curved in the same direction and adapted, in one position, to nest one in the other and rest lengthwise each against the other, and pivotally connected at their outer ends to and adapted to swing vertically on the inner ends of the rods, and pivotally conneotedV at their inner ends to the verticallystinging lever at different points in the length of the latter.

FRANSIS P. CUDAHY.

Witnesses:

S. F. CHRISTY, M. E. BENNETT. 

